30/05/2026
An archived project sharing! A public toilet concept we developed back in 2020! We still want to realise it somewhere someday! 🤍💚
【 UNDER THE LEAF 】
In backstreets and hush-filled corners, public toilets are often remembered by what they lack—fresh air, cleanliness, and the simple comfort of safety. They gather the grime of neglect: lingering smells, slippery floors, dim corners that feel uninviting even from a distance. Yet a place meant for everyday dignity should never feel like a last resort.
So the question becomes architectural, but also deeply human: how do we transform the way these spaces are felt?
This redesign concept addresses five recurring burdens that shape public experience namely Hygiene, Ventilation, Safety, Identification, and Maintenance. At the center of every solution is one guiding idea—permeability. Not just openness, but thoughtful transparency. By increasing permeability across daylight, sightlines, airflow, and approach, the toilet becomes less of a hidden void and more of a gentle civic presence.
Crowning the structure is a green pigmented roof, forming an abstract leaf-like surface. Its shape can vary depending on site and context like finding a different leaf in a different neighbourhood. It turns an overlooked facility into a recognizable series of landmark—making it easier to identify, but also brighter in both a literal and social sense. Beneath this leaf roof, rainwater is collected for reuse, allowing the building to participate in an everyday cycle of care. To ease construction and maintenance, the system is built from modular, prefabricated units assembled into site-specific arrangements. Every location can be uniquely shaped, while the overall concept remains efficient, adaptable, and sustainable.
Under the Leaf, the public toilet is no longer hidden.
It becomes breathable. Clean. Safer. Understandable.
